Society: Joffrey tiptoes into the future

The Joffrey Ballet was founded by Gerald Arpino and the late Robert Joffrey in New York in 1956; the company relocated to Chicago in 1995. Its annual budget is about $13 million. New artistic director Ashley Weater (who danced with the Joffrey in the 1980s) is keeping a sharp eye on expenses as the company nears the end of a capital campaign that has raised $30 million of its $35-million goal. In September, it will move into the Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph St. The $23-million building, designed by Booth Hansen architects, is already a prominent feature on State Street. The Joffrey also plans to open its own ballet school in 2009. Maureen Dwyer Smith, chairman of the board of directors, will attend its Women's Board gala on Friday night.

CRAIN'S: When did you become involved with the Joffrey?

MS. SMITH: When the Joffrey Ballet was moving to Chicago permanently, several people  the late Nancy Klimley, Sara Lee's John Bryan and David Kipper and Barbara Levy Kipper  asked me if I would help. I joined the board at that time. Having grown up in New York, I was familiar with the Joffrey and knew what they had danced and who their principals were. In 2000, I decided we needed a women's board. With the help of some of the female trustees, we formed it, and it took off like a rocket. We now have 150 members on the Women's Board, and it is the largest donor to the Joffrey Ballet. I am its chairman emeritus.

Did Chicago need another dance company?

There are some very strong local dance companies here, but none are ballet companies with a history or mystique like that of the Joffrey. Chicago is a city with major museums, a great opera and symphony, so it needed an international ballet company. The quality of the performances is so incredible that it is the best dancing people have ever seen, and since it is based here, people support it. We have had some terrific corporate sponsors, and the Joffrey wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Kippers, Miles White and Abbott Labs, and Gary Holdren and Huron Consulting, who have been great corporate citizens.

What can you tell us about the gala?

We're having our first-ever one-hour performance at the Auditorium Theatre, including a number by one of our neighborhood outreach groups, the Strobel Step-Up group. It will be followed by cocktails and dinner at the Hilton, and Lynne Jordan and the Shivers playing music for dancing. The entire evening is being dedicated to Nancy Klimley (a longtime Chicago socialite who died in March), who was a Women's Board member.

Tell us your personal views on philanthropy.

Quite simply, it's all about giving back. I'm a New Yorker, and I consider myself very lucky to have come here to Chicago to live. Ballet is a gift for everybody who sees it.